Mr. Agnew's Baleful Legacy

September 19, 1996

Toward the end of his life, former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, who died Tuesday at 77, forgave Richard M. Nixon, whom he believed had thrown him to the wolves during the darkest days of Watergate. Mr. Agnew attended the former president's 1994 funeral, a ceremony in which the disgraced Mr. Nixon was eulogized and honored by all sorts of old foes, Democrats and Republicans alike.

Forced from office by criminal charges in 1973, Mr. Agnew was himself accorded a measure of redemption last year when his bust was unveiled in the Capitol among the likenesses of other vice presidents, and he was invited to the ceremony. Corrupt politicians can be rehabilitated in America if they wait long enough.

The little-known Mr. Agnew burst on the national scene in 1968 as Mr. Nixon's surprise choice as his running mate. The Nixon-Agnew team was elected twice. The moderate governor of Maryland became a conservative herald. He ably served as Mr. Nixon's attack dog, skewering liberals, the media and anti-Vietnam War protesters with zeal.

He was insensitive enough to kiss off poverty by saying, ``When you've seen one slum, you've seen them all.'' But in many ways, Mr. Agnew probably reflected the beliefs of a majority of Americans at that time. And he -- and his speech writers -- contributed fire and spice to the political dialogue of the day.

However colorful, Mr. Agnew must be remembered for what he was: a corrupt official who was one of the main reasons public trust in government has taken a nosedive in the past 25 years. Facing charges of taking kickbacks -- accusations he denied -- he pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of tax evasion and resigned, the only vice president ever forced out under such circumstances. And he was a partner in an administration that wrote the book on abusing power.